


Temper Temper

by PoisonBasil



Series: Temperance's Temptations [8]
Category: DCU
Genre: F/M, Female Tim Drake, Mentioned Dick Grayson - Freeform, Mentioned Jason Todd, Temperance Drake, Temperance aka Tim Drake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 18:23:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12238236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonBasil/pseuds/PoisonBasil
Summary: it took a while...





	Temper Temper

Around two months after his return Damian noticed that Drake had got a new piercing in her ear. It accompanied the three that were already there: one red stud and two gold hoops. It had irked him that his father allowed her to have them. Damian had brought it up when he had first come to the Wayne household, Drake sporting the Robin costume. His father had dismissed him, told him that he had made an allowance and that he wanted hear no more of it.

Damian doesn’t know if he’s ever encountered her not wearing them, but he knows she never wore them while out as Robin. In his early days he used to wish that she would slip up and leave them in, so that he could inform Grayson or Father that she was risking her identity, putting them in danger due to her carelessness. However from watching her and hoping she would leave them in by accident just once, he found that taking out the piercings was the first thing she did as though she was striiping out of Temperance Drake and stepping into Robin.

The new hoop had him confused. Todd had told him once that there was a reason behind them, that each of them meant something. Damian had spent time and effort trying to figure it out. Drake had alluded him once again, he couldn’t find out what it meant. Nothing had happened since his death that could warrant such a statement, he thought maybe he had overlooked it, that she had got it earlier, so he scoured the surveillance and to his frustration he saw that she only came around wearing the Red Robin uniform and never took off the cowl, he couldn’t see whether or not the piercings had changed.

Drake had stayed at the manor last night. Damian decided to stake out the kitchen, since that would be one of first places Drake would venture to. Formulating a plan Damian thought about what he might say, usually talks with her ended in arguments, though they had been getting on more as of late (less shouting and biting remarks). He tried his best not to antagonize her at every turn as he once had.

After he had come back Drake had promised him that it would never happen to him again, no one would die on her watch and that if he was in trouble all he had to do was call and she would be there.

He didn’t know what to make of it, so taking his usual stance he ignored her, though her words soon became a reality, since not long after promise, he was caught in the middle of a gang war. Father was away, Grayson was talking with Todd across town about local drug deals they were going to put a stop to. Damian was supposed to be doing a routine patrol of his usual area. However that night Harvey Dent was out for blood, Damian thought it would be simple to handle, easy, though nothing in Gotham is. Caught unaware by some thugs from behind, he was locked down, with no way out. They didn’t know where he had hidden himself but they were too close to call in backup.

Damian remembers the way his heart thundered in his chest as he thought about the possibility of dying again. The nothingness on the other side. He’d squeezed his eyes shut, images of his family flashing before him, Damian tried to give himself false hope that it might not happen, knowing that panic would only hinder him. Squirrelled away in a tight corner he tried to silence his breathing, make it shallow as people ran past, their boots thudding on the ground.

“He’s here somewhere!” Came a loud voice not far from him, “Find him!” Damian could hear people rushing around, he noticed when one of them stopped right beside his hiding spot. He held his breath, this was it, sliding a birdarang into his hand, Damian prepared himself, there was no way he was going out without a fight.

Just as the man was about to breach his sanctuary he heard a sharp thwack, groan and dull thump.

“You can come out now Robin.” Drake. Damian shuffled out and came face to face with Red Robin, bow out, her stance tight as she looked him up and down. She nodded to herself at the assessment she had taken apparently happy with the results, turning she swished her cape behind her.

Damian flushed at the dismissal, “I did not need nor want you help Red.” He hated that he was saved by her, he was supposed to be reaffirming his role and showing them he wasn’t a liability that he could still do this.

“Nothing personal Robin,” Her voice cool and solid. “Just doing as I promised.” Before he could even think to get another word in Red Robin had pulled out her grapple and shot it off. “Until next time Robin.” She had given him a little salute and took off.

It wasn’t until after Grayson had got in after his patrol that he found out that he was the only one that new Red Robin was in Gotham. She had got in and out without alerting Barbara and saved him.

There were a couple more incidents like that. Where he was backed into a corner and Drake would save him before quickly high tailing it back out of Gotham. Damian had yet to figure out how she kept finding him. He had heard through Grayson that Todd was having similar encounters, being saved by the skin of his teeth.

Though Grayson pretends to be unaffected by it, he was jealous that she was even willing to be in the same room as them, she had avoided Grayson as though he was the plague. Only near him in times of peril, but always wearing the suit, never as herself, not that Damian could say he had seen Drake, either.

Todd often liked to boast about his little ‘dates’ with Drake to make Grayson, who is usually full of insufferable smiles, scowl and fume. Though nothing Todd said made it seem more than two people hanging out, he suspected that Todd framed the get togethers with Drake in a particular way to get under his mentors skin.

Last night Todd and Drake had used the big TV in the rec room to watching movies. This was the second time she had come to the Manor in a long time for something other than a case. Grayson had joined them, putting himself between the two of them, settling back into the cushions and putting an arm behind both of them. Though they both grumbled they had stayed where they were for the rest of the movie.

Since he didn’t want to watch the Marvel films again, he removed himself from the situation and as such he doesn’t know how it ended. He’s going to believe it ended rather well, since there was no screaming and gunfire before he went to sleep.

Staring at his coffee, he hoped that Drake would make an appearance soon. He had been sat on this stool for two hours already. Frankly it was becoming absurd the amount of time he was wasting. Damian was entertaining the thought of barging into Drake room (he doesn’t care how inappropriate it was for a male to go into a female’s room uninvited) when the kitchen door opened to reveal a groggy Drake making her way in.

He watched as she shuffled along the tiled floor, shoulders slumped, hair messily tied up, clothes rumpled from sleep and eyes squinting in the bright light. It amazed him some days that this was the dreaded Red Robin that struck fear into people’s hearts by name alone.

Damian’s sure that she hasn’t noticed him yet. Drake usually made an effort to acknowledge him when he was in the room, even if it was as simple as looking in his direction. He decided to test it, he gave a small cough, hoping it wouldn’t startle her too much, as soon as he had made the sound her shoulders tensed and her head whipped in his direction.

“Oh, it’s you Damian,” He saw her shoulders relax, and a smile gracing her lips. “Good morning.”

“Tt.” She was continuing her journey to the coffee pot, pulling the coffee from the cupboard and setting it up, Damian contented himself with watching her slow sluggish movements and waited for her to have her first cup, she was practically useless to talk to before she was caffeinated.

Damian had come to the decision a little while ago that he no longer hated Drake. He had grown to respect her, learnt from her, his thoughts about her maturing, no longer detesting her for having a place at his Father’s side and his respect.

He didn’t however, know whether she knew this. That was something that he wanted to rectify. He will never be Grayson, full of smiles, hugs and childish humor, but he could let her know he no longer thought of her as a rival but as a respected predecessor of Robin mantle.

Drake was pouring her second cup when Damian caught her attention once again. “Drake, I was wondering if I could ask you something?”

Drake giggles quietly to herself, “You just did.” Damian furrows his brow bout to make a remark. “Lame joke, sorry,” Damian nods his acknowledgment. “Sure as long as it’s not too difficult, I’m only on my second coffee of the day.”

“I’m asure you, this won’t be too difficult,” He smirks, Damian liked her brand of humor, when it wasn’t the mimic of Grayson’s. “I was just wondering about your ear piercings.”

He see’s her brow raise, “What about them?” She finishes the drink and gets herself another. Coming away from the counter she takes a seat at the other end of the table, placing her elbows on the table and bringing the cup to her lips.

“I noticed one had been added,” Damian see’s her nose wrinkle in confusion at the topic, (not that he could blame her, he never really talked to her about anything personal) “Todd let slip that you had reasons for them, though he would not tell me what they are.” Damian remembers his frustration at Todd’s silence, he went to Grayson after, only to find that he didn’t know either and went off to brood in the corner of the cave about Todd and Drake once again.

“Ah, Jason and his big mouth,” Drake takes a sip from the cooling liquid. “Yeah, they mean something,” Damian sits slightly more forward, hands braced on the edge of the table. “They stand for some people in my life.”

Damian sits silently for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He hadn’t thought of people, that they could stand for individuals, rather than specific moments. There were a number of people Damian thought that they could stand for. Superboy, Kidflash, Father, Brown, those were but a few.

“Who?” Damian could tell that Drake was thinking over whether to tell him or not. “You don’t have to tell me, if you’d rather not.” Her eyes are blinking owlishly at him.

“It’s not a secret Damian,” She smiles at him, putting her cup to the table. “They are symbols for people that have taken on the Robin Mantle.” Damian feels himself pause. There were four piercings, Damian could feel a tightness start in his chest.

Drake had got a piercing meant to memorialize him. There was a sudden sting in his eye. He knew, logically, that she recognised him as Robin, but there was never any proof of it, no words said.

“When?” Damian flushes as voice wobbles.

“When I was looking for Bruce.” Damian grips the table a little harder. That long? Damian, for a split second felt like crying.

“I thought you hated me,” Damian vomits out. “You always argued with me!”

He watches as Drake takes a drink and swallows. “I don’t hate you Damian, for a while I disliked you and avoided you, what I hated was the situation, the constant belittling by you and others, how Robin was taken from me.” She shrugs, “And to be honest Damain, you were a little shit but you’ve done the Robin name proud.”

He can barely believe his ears. This woman that he had fought and rallied against, pushed away from her only home left and attempted to kill just because she was wearing the colours he wanted.

“I-” Damian doesn’t know what say, completely stumped by Drake.

She reached over the table, placed her hand on his and gave it a gentle squeeze. He looked at her and sucked in a breath and the warmth and kindness in her eyes. He had seen it before, directed at Todd when he was having a bad day, or in his early days living in the Manor and Drake as Robin would humor and comfort Grayson, to see it turned on him almost made him leap from his stool.

“Are you alright Damian?”

Damian will always scold himself for hurting this warm and loving creature, “I’m sorry Temperance,” her name on his tongue tasted like forgiveness. “For everything. For a long time I fought and ridiculed you, stripped you of everything, made people cast you aside when you had nothing left and took joy in it.” His voice cracks slightly, before he knows what’s happening Drake had her arms around him, having got to him in minimal time.

“Dami, you don’t have to be sorry anymore, I get it, but thank you for saying it, I forgive you.” He felt her words pass over his skin.

Drake tightened her hold before letting go and stepping back. Her fingers reach up to her ear, and she pulls on the bottom most ring, “This one, is for you.” Dropping her hand to her hip, she slightly juts it out, “And for what it’s worth Damian, I am sorry for things that I’ve done too.” Why was she apologising?

Damian nods, nothing he couldn’t think of anything to say back. He didn’t really understand why she was apologising to begin with, she only ever retaliated, never instigated and was often the one scolded because she was older. It was Damian that should be asking for forgiveness.

He watched as she made her way over to the coffee maker once again, pouring herself another cup. Drake was walking out of kitchen when she turns her head in his direction, “I’m proud of what you have done with the Robin name Damian and I’m proud to call you my little brother.” Before Damian can reply Drake is out the door and it swings shut behind her.

When he can no longer hear her footsteps Damian slumps down onto the table. His head resting on his arms, hands in his hair, tugging at it lightly, a hefty sigh escaping him.

Closing his eyes Damian thought back on the conversation. He had answers now, knew why she had a new piercing. His chest tightened again, she cared for him, looked out for him and had for a long time, it made him both happy and miserable: happy because she wanted him around, cared for him and was proud of his achievements as his stint as Robin. Miserable because he had been nothing but downright horrid to her, causing her strife whenever able and stripping her down to her bare bones.

It was going to be a mammoth job, getting her to trust him. He knew that she found it hard to trust them anymore by the way that she avoided them, only showing up when they were in trouble or needed information.

But as an al’Ghul and Wayne it wasn’t in his blood to be deterred by something being difficult, it just made him want to succeed all the more. He would have to talk to Todd and find out how he managed to gain Drake’s fragile trust. Maybe even get Grayson to help and find his own way in again.


End file.
